Having Babies

The gripping story of nine months in an obstetrical practice, focuses on one pregnancy and birth and includes behind-the-scenes opinions from doctors, wisdom from labor-room nurses, and the reality behind the myths and old wives' tales. 30,000 first printing.

Congdon, an editor and publisher who spent nine months observing the obstetrical practice of Rod O'Driscoll and Jack Bonamo in West Orange, N.J., here recounts the drama he witnessed. His stories revolve around the birth of Susan and Tracy MacGregor's first child. Woven through this are other patients' pregnancies--some joyful, some tragic; the conflicts and friendships of the medical staff; professional hazards, such as malpractice lawsuits; behind-the-scenes ordeals in the hospital's labor and delivery room; and even interesting tidbits about modern ob-gyn medicine. This witty, instructive book demystifies obstetrics and shows that medical professionals are as human as their patients. Recommended for all new, expectant or potential parents.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

A look at pregnancy and childbirth as they are experienced by patients of an obstetrical practice in a wealthy New Jersey town. In the prologue, longtime book publisher Congdon informs us that he decided to write about the ``adventure'' of childbirth because ``women try to inform each other, but...the accounts sometimes grow sensational...the purpose can be to impress, or appall.'' This patronizing tone taints much of the book, which centers on a story-book couple, Susan and Tracy MacGregor. From the time the handsome, home-owning newlyweds arrive at the doctor's office to be told that Susan is pregnant, the book follows their smooth progress at a distance while giving detailed descriptions of how a fetus develops and its mother changes during pregnancy. Snapshots of other pregnancies, many of them far from trouble-free, are offered as the author observes--and the doctors and nurses maintain a running commentary on--a range of patients. There are also descriptions of often horrific obstetrical theories and methods in vogue at various times in the past; a discussion of the pros and cons of ``natural'' childbirth; a carefully constructed argument for the array of obstetrical technologies offered today, especially epidural anesthesia; and more than any lay reader is likely to want to know about the growing pains this small New Jersey practice experiences in adjusting to the presence of a new partner. Then Susan feels her first contractions, and the narrative zooms in for an extreme closeup of her son's birth, devoting six compelling chapters to her labor and delivery. This book may be most valuable decades from now as a portrait of state-of-the-art obstetrics in the 1990s. Meanwhile, it offers mothers-to-be and their partners a clear and accessible, if somewhat condescending, explanation of the mechanics of birth. -- Copyright ©1994, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

Congdon spent nine months shadowing two obstetricians in order to show readers "what having a baby is really like," so perhaps his book would have been more appropriately titled Delivering Babies. He offers us some wonderful insights into the obstetrician's world, closely chronicling the experience of one couple in order to give us an intimate view of pregnancy. However, the book's viewpoint is very male, thus missing much of the essence of "having babies." Indeed, Congdon's discussion of topics like epidurals, labor pain, and morning sickness borders on patronizing. Still, his book has its value; it offers men a look at the experience in terms they can understand while giving women a chance to see the male perspective. An optional purchase.
KellyJo Houtz Griffin, Harrison Memorial Hosp., Bremerton, Wash.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.